Pocket-gripping clip for pens, pencils, and the like



Dec. 30, 1941 w. GORDON 2,268,116

POGKET-GRIPPING CLIP FOR PENS, PENCILS, AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 16, 1940 INVENTOR 6'onZ0n e I a ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POCKET-GRIPPI NG CLIP FOR PEN S,

. PENCILS, AND THE LIKE William Gordon, Union City, N. J.

Application January 16, 1940, Serial No. 314,023

4 Claims. (01. 24-11) This. invention relates to improvements in pocket-gripping clips for pens, pencils, and the like.

In applicants former Patents No. 1,813,396, dated July '7, 1931, and No. 1,834,151, dated December. 1, 1931, clips for pens and pencils are shownand described which providespur members adapted to be automatically. engaged and to be manually released from the outside surface of pockets. It has been found that when such spurs are continuously applied to and removed from its mounted position, the cloth or fabric at the outer surface of a pocket adjacent to the edge of ;the pocket is frequently damaged. Also, in thereleasing operation of the spurs of said patents, it was necessary to press the operating member downwardly and to hold the parts in such downwardly released position while removing the clip from the edge of the pocket, thus resulting in a somewhat awkward releasing movement.

In accordance with my present invention, I eliminate these objectionable features by so arranging the spur member of my improved clipas to causesaid spur member to; engage and to be readily releasable from the inside surface of the pocket insteadof engaging and being dis-engaged from an exposed surface such as the outer portion of the pocket.

Also, in accordance with the present form of my invention, I provide means whereby release of thespur member from the said inner surface of the pocket may be accomplished by a more natural squeezing of the release member against the pen or pencil thus providing a much more facile method of operation and enabling the release of the spur member in the same movement thatthe user employed to engage andwithdraw the article from its mounted position on th edge of the pocket.

Still another object of my invention is to simplify the construction of a pocket-gripping clip.

of thetype specified andto enable the same to be {manufactured and sold at less cost than de vices of the same kind could heretofore be manuthe spur member a housing which will be spaced from the inner surface of the clip to form a channel with channel walls formed by said housing and clip to enable movement of the device .over the edge of a pocket in such position that the spur housing extends inside the pocket adja-' cent to the body ofthe article to be attached while the clip portion of the device extends on the outside thereof in registry with said housing toward the spur, and to guidethe samev into engaging position within the pocket.

Still another object. of my invention is, in a deviceof the character described, to utilize a blank of metal adapted to be bent to form from a single piece the spur housing and the clip and which will also preferably provide from said single blank, a fastening ring for pencils or fastening lugs connected to a fountain pen, wallet or the like.

With these and other objects in view, the in vention comprises the combination of members andarrangement of parts so combined as to coact and co-operate witheach other in the per-. formance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a pencil having my improved clip mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the pencil and clip shown inFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 of my clip device, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 41s a View in plan of a blank of metal adapted to be bent .toform the clip shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the blank illustrated :in Fig. 4, showing in dotted lines the partial bending. of the blank to form a clip and housing and fastening member;

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of my combined spur, spring and spur-operating member;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3,. looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation of a fountain pen carrying a pocket-gripping clip made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the clip shown in Fig. 8; and

Fig, 10 is a section on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, I have illustrated two preferred embodiments of my. invem gripping clip adapted for mounting upon a pencil and the other of which on a fountain pen, but it will be understood that similar pocket-gripping clips may be applied to wallets, key cases and other articles which it is desired to carry in the pocket of the user. In the said drawing, l indicates a pencil having a cap 2 to which my pocket- 1 gripping clip 3 is attached by means of a fastening ring 4.

In accordance with my invention, my improved pocket-gripping clip 3 comprises a combined clip guide and guard member 3' and an inner spurhousing 3*, the outer surface of which is spaced from the inner surface of the member 3' to provide therebetween a channel 5 which, in mounted position, extends on opposite sides of the cloth of the pocket 6 shown in dotted lines so that one wall of the channel comprising the housing 3 is inserted and positioned within the pocket and the clip member '3' extends on the outside thereof.

The housing 3*, in accordance with my invention, is triangular in conformation with its apex extending downwardly to form a guiding surface for the inside surface of the pocket and is provided with a suitable spur member 1 combined with means for actuating the same to extend through an opening in the housing wall into said.

channel and toward the inner surface of the clip member so as to engage the inner surface of the fabric near the top edgeof the pocket 6% when the pocket gripping clip is mounted on the edge of a pocket.

In the preferred form of my invention, the housing, clip and fastening means therefor, are all formed from a single piece of sheet metal or blank shown in Fig.4, this piece of metal being, in suitable dies, bent as partially shown in Fig. 5, into proper design or configuration to form a guiding and guarding clip 3' and a conventional ball at the end thereof, andalso being bent to form the housing 3 and the fastening member 4 all from said single piece of metal.

In accordance with said preferred form of my invention, the housing section of said blank is bent intermediate its ends to produce a housing I or rigid pocket substantially triangular in longithe latter of which is provided with lugs 3 which extend around the back section 3 to lock theforward section thereto and provide a completely enclosed housing of the conformation hereinabove specified. The forward portion 3 of the housing is provided intermediate its ends with an aperture or'opening 8 through which a spur member I struck up integrally from an operating member 9 is adapted to project. The operating member comprises an operating strip body Shaving its lower end extending to the bottom of the triangularportion of the housing and is provided, at said end, with a bent portion or toe 9' which, when engaged with the internal walls of the housing at the apex thereof, provides the necessary spring on the balance of the strip to force the spur through the opening 8, and to permit the same to. .be withdrawn from said opening by an inward movement of the strip. Said strip at its upper end forms a handle portion 9* which is provided with a hole 9* adapted, in assembly, to be passed over the clip member 3' and to be mounted within the housing 3 in such position'that the spring 9' will force saidtion, one of which illustrates a form of pocketupper handle portion 9 outwardly away from the article being carried and will also cause the spur member 'i to project through the aperture or hole 8 in the forward or front wall of the housing.

Obviously, when the handle portion 9 is normally by the operation of the integral toe portion 9', forced outwardly away from the pencil,

an inward movement of such handle portion may be accomplished by the same movement of the users fingers as will be required to remove the pencil from the pocket. Thus, to release the pocket-gripping clip, one of the fingers of the user is pressed against the side of the pencil opposite to that from which the clipextends and another finger is pressed inwardly against the top of the operating member of the clip. This pressure will cause the inward movement of said operating member and will force back the spur out of the'aperture 8 and away from the front wall of the housing so that the pencil and clip by a single simple movement may be readily released and moved upwardly over the edge of the pocket.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10, I have shown my invention as applied to a fountain pen. The construction and arrangement of the device shown in these views is similar to thatshown in Figs. 1 to 7 except that instead of employing the fastening ring member 4, the clip'will be provided with fastening lugs 4 which are inserted between an outer cap 2 and an inner cap 2 of the cap of the fountain pen 1*. In other respects, the construction is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive.

I-Iaving described my invention, I claim:

1. A pocket-gripping clip for pens, pencils and like articles, embodying, in combination, a clip member mounted on and spaced from the article adapted to contact the outer surface of the fabric of a pocket, an inner lining-contacting member extending between said clip and said article in spaced relationship to the clip to provide an innerfabric-contacting wall for the pocket edge,

said inner lining-contacting member being pro-.

vided with an isolated aperture, a spring-pressed spur member mounted between said inner liningcontacting member and the article and adapted to extend through said isolated aperture into engagement with the inner surface of the pocket, at finger-engageable part connected with said spur member and operable by an inward movement toward the article to move said spur out of said aperture to release the same from engagement with said inner surface of the fabric.

2. .A pocket-gripping clip for pens, pencils and like articles, embodying, in combination, a clip member mounted on and spaced from the article adapted to contact the outer surface of the fabric of a pocket, a housing member spaced inwardly from said clip member and adapted to contact the inner surface of the fabric of the pocket, a.

spur member mounted in said housing and adapted to extend therethrough into engagement with said inner surface of the fabric of the pocket, and finger-actuated releasing means for said spur member operable to release by an inwardv movement toward said article.

3. A pocket-gripping clip for pens, pencils and like articles, embodying, in combination, a clip member mounted on and spaced from the article adapted to contact the outer surface of the fabric of a pocket, a housing member spaced inwardly from said clip member and adapted to contact the inner surface of the fabric of the pocket. a

combined spur and finger-actuated release member mounted in said housing and comprising a metal strip having a spur struck-up therefrom intermediate its ends, an integral spring toe at one end and a finger-engaging portion at the opposite end, said spur being adapted to extend through said housing into engagement with said inner surface of the fabric of the pocket, and said finger-engaging portion being operable to release by an inward movement toward said 10 article.

4. A pocket-gripping clip for pens, pencils and like articles, embodying, in combination, a clip member mounted on and spaced from the article adapted to contact the outer surface of the fabric of a pocket, a housing member spaced inwardly from said'clip member and adapted to contact the inner surface of the fabric of the pocket, a spur member mounted in said housing and adapted to extend therethrough into engagement with said inner surface of the fabric of the pocket, finger-actuated releasing means for said spur member operable to release by an inward movement toward said article, said housing and clip being formed integrally from a single blank of sheet metal.

WILLIAM GORDON. 

